An excellent article about PSA and being able to determine the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.
https://www.statnews.com/2017/05/04/prostate-cancer-research-psa/
Tag: PSA
Month 77–The Results
The results are in. My latest PSA is 0.08 ng/ml, up from 0.06 ng/ml in December. That’s exactly where the trendline on my geeky spreadsheet graph told me it would be, so I’m not entirely surprised. Not pleased, but not surprised.
What does all of this mean? Who knows. On the good news side, I’m still well below the historically accepted 0.2 ng/ml cancer recurrence threshold. But I’m at the point now where I can no longer convince myself that these elevated PSA readings were just a byproduct of the change in PSA test methodology in March 2015. I’m sensing that something real is afoot here, and it doesn’t bode well.
My appointment with the doctor isn’t until 9 May 2017, so I’ll have plenty of time to think about this in advance and have a battery of questions ready for him. We’ll see if we’ll stick to the four-month test cycle or if he wants to increase the frequency. If we stick to the four-month cycle, my trendline would predict the next PSA to be between 0.09 and 0.1 ng/ml.
The last time we met, the doctor wasn’t willing to act until we got closer to the 0.2 ng/ml threshold. I’ll see if this result changes his opinion or if he’s been more accepting of some of the more recent research on prostate cancer recurrence. (You may recall from some of my earlier posts that several studies using the new ultra-sensitive PSA test showed that crossing the 0.03 ng/ml threshold was predictive of cancer recurrence and that intervention with salvage therapies sooner rather than later was more effective.)
I’m not going to pretend that this isn’t troublesome for me, because it is. But I also know that it’s still too early to go into full panic mode. If we stick to the four-month test schedule and August’s results come in at 0.07 or above, that will be one more data point to reinforce the notion that the cancer is, in fact, on its way back. At least in my mind. If it comes in less than that, I’ll be both happy and frustrated because of the continued uncertainty as to what’s really happening.
The journey—with its sometimes insufferable waiting—continues.
Day 2,339–PSA Test Time
It’s that time again. Another four months have elapsed and I just had my blood drawn for the next lap on the PSA roller coaster.
Actually, the anxiety leading into this test has been pretty much non-existent. Not that there isn’t any concern; it’s just that I haven’t let it control me. Why get all worked up about something you don’t know the answer to, right?
I should have my results by my next monthly update on 11 April. Stay tuned.
Month 76 – Status Quo
The last month has been a pretty busy month with relatives visiting from out of town and giving them the grand tour of San Diego County. There were also some transitions at work that have left us short-handed until we find a replacement for an employee who moved on to pursue his career elsewhere. Translation: Little time to think about pesky cancer.
But it’s approaching the four-month mark for my next PSA test, so those thoughts will be creeping to the front of my brain soon enough. I’ve scheduled my next PSA blood draw for 6 April 2017.
Till next month (with the latest PSA results in hand, hopefully)…
This Test Can Tell If Your Prostate Cancer Will Come Back
I came across this interesting article late tonight talking about how, if your post-treatment PSA nadir after RT or ADT is greater than 0.5 ng/ml, you’re more likely to have the prostate cancer return.
I’m going to re-read this with a fresh set of eyes tomorrow to better understand the study and its details.
Day 2,241–Doctor’s Visit
My visit to the doctor this afternoon to review my latest PSA results (0.06 ng/ml) went just as I expected it would:
- There’s no definitive explanation for the elevated PSA yet.
- The elevated PSA seems to be stable, so no need to panic about recurrence.
- Retesting in four-month cycles will continue for the foreseeable future.
I’m okay with all of that. I seem to have turned the corner where I’ll always be concerned about my PSA, but I’m not going to let it control my life. It’s too consuming.
He reminded me of how slowly PSA can change and that we shouldn’t even begin to think about any intervention unless the PSA starts creeping up into the 0.15–0.18 range. That’s fine by me. If we get to that point, I’m going to be much more deliberate in selecting what, if any, salvage therapy would be appropriate given where I’m at in life and the potentially debilitating side effects that impact quality of life.
So I’ll call that visit a positive end to 2016. Let’s hope for a happy, healthy 2017!
Blasting Prostate Cancer with Testosterone
Here’s an interesting development in the field of prostate cancer research. The headline is a bit sensationalistic, but the researchers seem to be seeing “unexpected” and “exciting” results.
Professor Sam Denmeade, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, US, who led the study, said: “”Our goal is to shock the cancer cells by exposing them rapidly to very high followed by very low levels of testosterone in the blood. The results are unexpected and exciting.
Man ‘cured’ of prostate cancer after doctors shock tumour to death with testosterone
Update: 3 December 2016
Here’s the link to the abstract highlighting the preliminary results:
Day 2,212 – PSA Results
My latest PSA test on 28 November came back at 0.06 ng/ml, up slightly from the 0.05 ng/ml back on 1 August.
That could just be the difference between a new moon and a full moon or simple instrument error. It’s a concern, but certainly nothing to panic over at the moment.
I’m glad to see that I’m consistently hovering in that 0.04–0.08 range, although, if I were to lay a trendline over the data, it would certainly be moving in an upward direction towards that recurrence threshold.
The one nagging thing that hangs over my head is those recent studies that showed PSA at 0.03 ng/ml can be predictive of recurrence. I’ll press the doctor on that again at my appointment on 29 December.
Lastly, I’ve accepted the fact that this will be my new reality: Testing, waiting, and wondering every four months. Not the path I hoped to be on six years out, but it is what it is.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, support, and prayers.
Day 2,210 – PSA Test Time
Time to buckle up for the next ride on the PSAnxiety roller coaster. I had my blood drawn this morning for my next PSA test. Now we wait, typically three days before seeing the results online.
On the good news front, I’ve been completely unemotional leading up to this PSA test. I’m not sure why, but it’s been a refreshing change from the last PSA tests.
My appointment with my doctor is on 29 December, and I’ll post my results as soon as I have them (and geekily update my spiffy little PSA chart).
Six Years
Six years ago today, I was told I had prostate cancer. Guess what? It’s six years later and I’m still alive and kickin’. Woo-hoo!
Of course, the cancer storm clouds may be brewing as I head into my next PSA test in a few weeks. Who knows what crazy result it will yield. Remember, in the last 15 months, we’ve gone from undetectable to 0.05 to 0.04 to 0.08 to 0.05. Any bets on the results this time around??
My schedule in early December is quite hectic, so I’ll likely go for the blood draw during the week of 28 November. As usual, I’ll wait three days to get the results online, and then my appointment with the urologist is on 29 December.
Stay tuned. In the meantime, here’s wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends!
Dan's Journey through Prostate Cancer 